Obituary for Patricia Jean "Pat" Francis (Murr)
Pat Francis passed away peacefully after years of battling health issues. She is preceded in death by her father, Early Leroy Murr, and mother, Elva Juanita (Dayhoff) Murr. Her husband of 44 years, Thomas James Francis, passed away in 2006. She is survived by her brother, Robert L. Murr, her 3 children, Julia V.F. Whelan, Lori (Francis) Velie, and Craig Francis. She also left behind 3 grandchildren, Amy Francis, Mark Velie and Thomas Velie and 2 great grandchildren, Alandria and Roman Velie. Other surviving family members include nieces, nephews and cousins.
Her family and friends remember her as a strong, dedicated woman that believed in family and hard work. She graduated Colorado Springs High School (William J. Palmer High School) in 1958. With a special interest in mathematics, she was the only girl in her physics class. After graduating high school, Pat met and married Thomas J. Francis in 1962. When Tom was drafted into the army, they moved to North Carolina for 2 years. Returning to Colorado Springs, Pat worked primarily in the financial service industry. She achieved Vice President status at First National Bank throughout the 90’s. After retiring due to a merger, she went to work at First State Bank and helped to build their knowledge base in operations. Soon, Charles Emmer reached out and asked her to come work for him at Ent. She oversaw many departments, including Account Services and Certificates. Her coworkers saw her as kind and generous. A wise sage in many decision making meetings. Pat fully retired in 2004 to spend more time with the love of her life, Tom.
Pat instilled a work ethic in her children that guides them to this day. She used to say that if you were too sick to work, you were too sick to leave the house. She raised strong, independent children, yet always supported them through financial worries, divorce and death. Pat and Julia were very similar in many ways, particularly in competitive spirit. Many Saturday Pinochle games resulted in arguments. They could not be partners in the game. She instilled the value of confidence and intelligence in her eldest daughter that showed that you can be your own person. For Craig, she was instrumental in teaching him how to take care of his family, to know what a family man should look like both monetarily and being fun loving. Pat encouraged Lori to further her education by being the first in the family to earn her college degree and to use it to advance in her career in banking.
She had a significant impact on her grandchildren. For Tommy, she was able to explain math on a road trip to Nebraska. She explained how MPH could tell them when they would be at their destination. Mark and Grandma loved Olive Garden. Mark couldn’t come home without going out with Grandma. They missed their last chance in May.
Overall, Pat was proud of her children and grandchildren. She saw the different personalities and abilities of each one and loved them as they chose to live.
Pat enjoyed fishing trips, family get togethers, a little bit of gambling with slot machines or dog racing, computer games and Hallmark movies. She was a fan of Colorado sports, especially the Avalanche and the Rockies. Her love of sports has been passed down to her entire family.
Her inner strength and tenacity helped her to survive the death of Tom and her mother. It also helped her fight through kidney cancer, dialysis, diabetic retinopathy and other serious health issues that plagued her in the last few years. She fought valiantly to overcome these struggles.
Now it’s time to let Mom rest and take the time to honor and remember who she was and how much we loved her. We will remember her with both smiles and laughter.
To celebrate her life, a service will be held Thursday, August 11 at 10:00 AM at Evergreen Funeral Home, 1830 E. Fountain Blvd., Colorado Springs, CO 80910.
Her family and friends remember her as a strong, dedicated woman that believed in family and hard work. She graduated Colorado Springs High School (William J. Palmer High School) in 1958. With a special interest in mathematics, she was the only girl in her physics class. After graduating high school, Pat met and married Thomas J. Francis in 1962. When Tom was drafted into the army, they moved to North Carolina for 2 years. Returning to Colorado Springs, Pat worked primarily in the financial service industry. She achieved Vice President status at First National Bank throughout the 90’s. After retiring due to a merger, she went to work at First State Bank and helped to build their knowledge base in operations. Soon, Charles Emmer reached out and asked her to come work for him at Ent. She oversaw many departments, including Account Services and Certificates. Her coworkers saw her as kind and generous. A wise sage in many decision making meetings. Pat fully retired in 2004 to spend more time with the love of her life, Tom.
Pat instilled a work ethic in her children that guides them to this day. She used to say that if you were too sick to work, you were too sick to leave the house. She raised strong, independent children, yet always supported them through financial worries, divorce and death. Pat and Julia were very similar in many ways, particularly in competitive spirit. Many Saturday Pinochle games resulted in arguments. They could not be partners in the game. She instilled the value of confidence and intelligence in her eldest daughter that showed that you can be your own person. For Craig, she was instrumental in teaching him how to take care of his family, to know what a family man should look like both monetarily and being fun loving. Pat encouraged Lori to further her education by being the first in the family to earn her college degree and to use it to advance in her career in banking.
She had a significant impact on her grandchildren. For Tommy, she was able to explain math on a road trip to Nebraska. She explained how MPH could tell them when they would be at their destination. Mark and Grandma loved Olive Garden. Mark couldn’t come home without going out with Grandma. They missed their last chance in May.
Overall, Pat was proud of her children and grandchildren. She saw the different personalities and abilities of each one and loved them as they chose to live.
Pat enjoyed fishing trips, family get togethers, a little bit of gambling with slot machines or dog racing, computer games and Hallmark movies. She was a fan of Colorado sports, especially the Avalanche and the Rockies. Her love of sports has been passed down to her entire family.
Her inner strength and tenacity helped her to survive the death of Tom and her mother. It also helped her fight through kidney cancer, dialysis, diabetic retinopathy and other serious health issues that plagued her in the last few years. She fought valiantly to overcome these struggles.
Now it’s time to let Mom rest and take the time to honor and remember who she was and how much we loved her. We will remember her with both smiles and laughter.
To celebrate her life, a service will be held Thursday, August 11 at 10:00 AM at Evergreen Funeral Home, 1830 E. Fountain Blvd., Colorado Springs, CO 80910.